One Piece is a beloved anime/manga series about a young pirate named Monkey D. Luffy, leader of the Straw Hat Pirates. The series has been running since 1997 and is one of the most popular manga series ever created.
Eiichiro Oda, the writer, has woven a tale full of impossibly strong monsters to beat and foes to conquer. This rich world’s most powerful characters are hard to categorize, but we’ll try anyway.
Since there are several anime-only One Piece fans, we have ranked these characters based on the events we’ve seen in the anime so far. This way, anime fans won’t get any spoilers while going through the article. That said, we’ll update this list along with the ranking when the anime catches up with the manga.
10 Shanks
Red Hair Shanks is one of the four Emperors that rule over the New World. Shanks’ power is not derived from any Devil Fruit but from pure skill. He is one of the very few in the entire world with mastery over all three types of Haki. Shanks might look like an affable, kind man, but he is one of the scariest pirates in the entire world.
He fights using a saber, Gryphon, and little else. Even after losing his arm while saving Luffy when he was a child, his swordsmanship is nothing to take lightly. According to Kaido, Shanks is in the same league as Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger. Even Blackbeard was leery at the prospect of facing him, even though he had both his Devil Fruit powers available to him at that point.
9 Mihawk
Despite being the very first Shichibukai to be revealed in the series, not much is known about Dracule Mihawk’s true power. He has never really pushed to his limits, coming out entirely unscathed in the Battle of Navyford.
However, what is known about him is legendary. He is the undisputed Best Swordsman in the World — a coveted title if there ever was one. In his younger days, he considered Shanks to be his rival, but with the loss of his arm, he no longer considers him his equal in swordsmanship. Even Zoro openly admits he is no match for Mihawk in his current state.
8 Garp (Prime)
While Garp’s immense physical strength and mastery of Haki make him a formidable opponent, it’s his experience that truly sets him apart. With years of service in the Marine, Garp has seen and faced the worst that the seas have to offer, and his wealth of knowledge and skill in combat is unmatched.
What strength Garp has shown in the series so far is his power well past his prime. It’s his past achievements that shed light on why he is still regarded with fear and respect by those who know of his deeds. His title, “Hero of the Marines,” comes from the incident where he faced off and defeated Rocks D. Xebec, an incredibly formidable pirate, with the help of Gol. D Roger. He was even offered the position of Admiral multiple times in the past, but he declined.
7 Kaido
Kaido, the infamous “Strongest Creature in the World,” is incredibly fearsome. Kaido’s immense power has been displayed on several occasions, as he has defeated powerful opponents and survived seemingly fatal attacks. The secret behind Kaido’s strength lies in his devil fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu. This fruit gives him the ability to transform into an azure dragon, increasing his physical strength and durability to even greater levels.
Kaido’s resilience is also a major factor in his strength. When facing off against Luffy in his Gear 4 form, Kaido shook off the damage done within seconds. He has also survived the combined attacks of multiple members of the worst generation, including Luffy, Law, Eustass Kid, Zoro, and Killer, with nothing but a scar to show for it.
6 Monkey D. Dragon
Although not much is known about Monkey D. Dragon, as he remains a figure shrouded in mystery, his might is apparent by the company he keeps and the actions of others when his name is uttered. This has never been more apparent than when he made his debut in Logue Town, helping Luffy escape the clutches of Smoker. After Smoker realizes it’s Dragon he is facing, he doesn’t even make a token attempt at capturing the so-called “World’s Most Wanted Man.”
His status as the head of the Revolutionary Army puts him squarely in the sights of the World Government, even more so than any other pirate. Because while pirates might be a nuisance for the Celestial Dragons, none of them are truly a threat to their status. Not like Dragon. So, the fact that he has been able to not only survive but thrive, speaks for itself.
5 Whitebeard
Making his appearance in, arguably, the best story arc of the series, Whitebeard was a titan from the Golden Age of Pirates. When Gol D. Roger was alive, they were rivals. And after the Pirate King’s death, he was publicly regarded as the Strongest Man in the World.
What made Whitebeard strong? His Devil Fruit. The Gura Gura no Mi granted him the power to create shockwaves by punching. This paramecia-type Devil Fruit was so absurdly strong that if he wanted to, Whitebeard had the power to destroy reality itself.
4 Blackbeard
Even before he ate any Devil Fruits, Blackbeard was a force to be reckoned with. He gave Shanks the scar over his eye when they fought, became a Commander level combatant, and achieved great success as a pirate, all without eating any Devil Fruits at all.
Due to an unknown quirk of his body, he was able to absorb the powers of two extremely powerful Devil Fruits, the Yami Yami no Mi, the Darkness fruit, and the Gura Gura no Mi, the Tremor fruit. With only the Darkness fruit, he has the capability of nullifying the Devil Fruit powers of others with just a touch and exerting the power of gravity. With the Tremor fruit, he has the power to destroy everything.
3 Gol D. Roger
Gol D. Roger is considered one of the strongest characters in the world of One Piece. He was considered the absolute pinnacle of strength and power that a Pirate could achieve. The title of “Pirate King” was not just for show. Not only did he reach the top of the world as a Pirate, his achievements and his allies are all indicative of his strength.
His crew included the “Dark King” Rayleigh, the “daimyo of Kuri” Kozuki Oden, and even the infamous “Red-Haired Shanks.” Indicative of how highly the Marines ranked his strength, his bounty reached 5,564,800,000 bellies, the highest in history.
2 Rocks D. Xebec
Rocks D. Xebec was alive 40 years before the events of One Piece and were the equivalent of the Pirate King of his Era. He was the captain of the Rocks Pirates. His crew included Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Whitebeard.
He was so incredibly strong that when Garp was tasked with taking him down by the World Government, he had to ask Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, for help.
1 Imu
The current leader of the world government and holder of the “Empty Throne,” Imu, is certainly a mystery to fans of One Piece. However, despite being shrouded in fog, he is, without a doubt, among the strongest existences in the One Piece universe, as evidenced by the fact that the entire Lulusia Kingdom was sunk into the ocean by Imu in a matter of seconds.
Since even the Five Elders bow down to Imu’s authority, it is clear he stands at the top of the world. Imu is considered by many to be the final antagonist of the One Piece series, but it’s only speculation at this point.
